The priest of Buerglen, Wendelin Bucheli, failed to receive support from the Swiss Bishops Conference after he blessed a lesbian couple
Keystone
The blessing of a same-sex partnership is contrary to church doctrine and not acceptable, the president of the Swiss Bishops Conference told Swiss public television, SRF, on Thursday.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The Swiss Bishops ConferenceExternal link spent three days discussing the blessing of same-sex couples at their meeting in Geneva, but came to the conclusion that a partnership between two members of the same sex does not fulfil the Catholic Church’s definition of marriage – restricted to a relationship between a man and a woman – and thus cannot be blessed.
The discussion was prompted by disagreement over the blessing of a lesbian couple in the Swiss canton of Uri by priest Wendelin Büchli in October 2014. Büchli was dismissed from his post by Vitus Huonder, the Bishop of Chur, but refused to accept his dismissal and hand in his resignation.
The Conference supported the decision made by Bishop Huonder and said that such decisions fall under the competence of the bishops of Chur and Lausanne.
According to the Conference president, Markus Büchel, changing the doctrine of the Catholic Church does not lie within the bishops’ competence. This can be done only by the Pope or the Church Council.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Priest dismissed for blessing lesbian couple
This content was published on
A Swiss priest who blessed a lesbian couple last year has been dismissed from his post for going against church doctrine.
Surveys support gay marriage, not just partnerships
This content was published on
Gay and lesbian couples were granted the right to partnerships in law in 2007, but they lack some rights that married heterosexual couples have, such as the ability to adopt as a couple, an eased application process for non-Swiss to become citizens, and access to fertility treatments. The first survey, published in the SonntagsZeitung newspaper…
This content was published on
The Senate had approved a motion granting adoption rights regardless of marital status or sexual orientation, as long as the arrangement was the best option for the child in question. However, the House of Representatives altered the motion – specifying that a homosexual could only adopt the child of his or her partner. In Switzerland,…
This content was published on
“Before Elias* was born, we often asked ourselves how our friends would react, whether they would take it badly and whether our child would suffer … But up to now the reactions have been positive, although it’s not always easy. It’s as if we have to go through a permanent coming out.” Gabrielle* makes eye…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.